Mega Man Zero: Redux
by ChaosWarrior01
Summary: The first game in the Mega Man Zero Saga retold with more character development, more lore, and the view of the Neo Arcadians!


Mega Man Zero: Redux

(Just a note for people who read the story that was up here before. I couldn't work on it due to college, and to pick it up now would be hard, so I'm going to try to start up something new to get going.)

I ran as fast as I could, but my legs were burning, and with every room a small group of the soldiers stopped to try to fight off the wave of Pantheons coming for us.

"_Why?! Why did they have to find us?! We almost had it!"_ My lungs burning so hard, but I couldn't stop, or the entire mission would be pointless.

But I could hear them behind us, the screaming of my men dying, the guns of the Neo Arcadian army…

And the marching…Always the marching…

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The marching… Always the marching…

I could handle the screams, the tears, and the blood, but the marching was always what got to me. Beside me Phantom had his constant distant expression on his face, and he was calmly spinning a kunai in his hands. Fefnir was tapping his foot as he leaned against a wall on the observation platform. Leviathan was the worst though, she was holding her hands and staring at the people as they were forced from their homes.

The whole scene was made otherworldly by a sound shield overhead giving the entire quadrant an eerie blue shade. I couldn't believe it even now that we had to kill or otherwise dispose of these old gen reploids. However, I and my siblings would do our duty.

"We swore to protect these people. We swore to keep the peace."

I sighed, "Levi I know you don't like it, but you need to remember our orders. The word of the Master is final."

She huffed, "I know that Harp, but you know there must be a better way! The Maverick and Elf wars were all about helping humans **and** reploids! Now we are just slaughtering them!"

I felt a headache coming on. Levi was always the one with the biggest heart for the commoners, and she never helped when we had to watch a purge. I looked to Fefnir to help me out, but he just sneered at me and chuckled.

"The good of the many outweigh the good of the few." Phantom stated. He didn't talk as much as the rest of us, but we always paid attention when he did.

Leviathan didn't take kindly to that notion, "So what?! In that case we all should go hungry to help feed those who are running out of energy crystal! Do you want to go hungry? DO YOU?!"

Fef finally started up, "Hey little fairy don't start saying anything about my dinner! I WILL kill you if you touch my food!"

Phantom sighed, "Fighting, feasting, and sleeping are all you do aren't they Fefnir?"

He let out a booming laugh, "No! I also practice!"

I felt my headache getting worse. I suddenly knew it wouldn't be good to stay here. I launched off the platform without warning, spooking the others, and made a beeline for the Wind Temple. I needed to talk to my men.

The entire night would be awash in blue, and I wouldn't get any sleep, but I knew I that there was paperwork to take care of.

Lots and lots of paperwork…

Maybe Aztec Falcon would take over disposal duties this week so I could catch up on the sleep I was about to lose.

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I could feel the vibrations as hundreds of bullets ricocheted around us, and the screams of the poor men behind me were making me want to curl up and cry.

"Don't listen. Just move." Passy didn't even sound nervous. If they caught her they would force her to power some giant machine or some other horrible creation, but she didn't even sound like she even noticed the Pantheons behind us.

We turned the corner to reach a giant wall, completely impassable.

Milan cursed, "Damn it! We were so close! Passy any way past?"

She let out a small pulse of light that made us all feel a little bit better. She closed her eyes as the energy went out and searched the nooks and crannies for every possible way past.

Her eyes opened, "There is something powerful back there, but the only way is through this wall."

I felt my eyes widen. Something powerful… could it be?

Milan, of course, was the one to take action, "Get me a rocket!" He grabbed an offered rocket from another soldier and pointed towards the door, "I'll handle this. Stay back Ciel!"

The blast was horrendous, but it did its job. Just as we were about to go through one of the men who fell back came up from behind.

"To late! Golem! Run!" then just as quickly he was riddled with bullets from behind. Oil and other fluids quickly coated his front, and the spray caught my mouth and eyes. I started to feel my legs shake, and I knew if I didn't move now then I was done.

The room we walked into was large and empty. The only defining feature being the large mass of cables hanging from the ceiling down to…

A reploid hanging from the cables, resting on his knees. The red armor was dull and chipped, and the black under suit looked wrinkled and unkempt. The worst looking part of all though was the hair, which one could tell had once been long and flowing, but now as torn and thin.

It was Zero…

We had found him at last

The three of us, Milan, Passy, and I, all ran to the other end of the room, only the sleeping Zero standing between us.

The Pantheons came in, not even pausing to marvel at the legend. They lined up to fire, but just as I thought we were about to die something stopped the bullets.

It was Milan.

He fell on top of me with my measly strength barley able to stop his fall. He looked at me and cried, "Ciel abort and get out of here!" I could feel the pain in his voice as he spoke.

"No! We can't after coming so far!" I knew I must be crying, but I didn't care. He was a friend dying right in front of me.

"We have no time to argue!" Another round of shots came and hit him in the chest, oil spraying out as my arms gave out from holding him.

They were coming closer, their guns trained on me in case I moved. I knew it was over.

"Ciel."

They were in full view now, gleaming white and blue armor almost factory new. The poor men had hardly bothered them.

"Ciel!"

I felt all the fear hit me. I just wanted to be in my room playing with Alouette.

"CIEL!"

"Huh?" I squeaked. Passy was trying to say something.

"Ciel use my power! You have no choice!"

I gasped. If I was getting her then she wanted me to use her on Zero. That was crazy! He obviously had been there for years, and we didn't even know if he was functional! However, the worst part was that if she failed then I would be here alone.

"Passy if I do that then you'll..."

"I know, but you have to! Everyone is waiting for you at the resistance base!"

I knew she was right, and I knew that this was the only way. Damn them! Damn Neo Arcadia to hell! I hate them for driving me to this!

Passy wordlessly flew to my hands, and I pointed her towards the sleeping reploid.

"Thank you Passy."

She smiled, "No. I should thank you Ciel. Goodbye."

And then she was gone. I screamed her name as she flew, bright as a star, towards the ancient warrior.

And then with a flash of light everything was gone.

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Episode 0: Awakening


End file.
